The AFC Womens Asian Cup 2014 qualifiers Group B first round matches will be held in Dhaka from 21-25 May 2013.In Group B four teams- Thailand, Iran, Philippines and host Bangladesh will face each other round robin league basis.Bangladesh will face Thailand on 21st May, Iran on 23rd May and Philippines on 25th May. All matches will be played in Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Source : Bangladesh FA website

Philippines matches :

21 May vs Iran

23 May vs Thailand

25 May vs Bangladesh

MANILA, Philippines – Moving to a new pitch and better coordination with the Philippine Football Federation will most likely lessen scheduling problems for the United Football League, which opens on Tuesday.

The league was forced to postpone some of its matches last season including the Cup finals due to conflict with the Azkals’ schedule and venue problems. But with the newly-built pitch at the McKinley Hill Football Field, there will now be a stable venue for the matches especially now that the league’s games will be seen twice a week on primetime TV.

UFL, where most of the Azkals play, will still be open to disrupt its schedule for the sake of flag and country only at certain conditions.

“UFL will give way to national team duties during only FIFA sanctioned games and the AFC Challenge Cup in March,” UFL chairman Santi Araneta said during the league’s press conference today at the Panggo’s Grill in Timog, Quezon City. “Other cases such as camps abroad will no longer be the league’s concern. It will be the discretion of the clubs to release the national players in such cases.”

UFL asst. technical director Ritchie Gannaban bared that the league’s schedule for the week has already been set while the rest of the season is still under evaluation pending a meeting with the Philippine Football Federation for the national team’s schedule.

The country’s top domestic football league will play all its matches in the McKinley Hill Football Field in its first week with the Tuesday and Thursday matches to be televised live over AKTV on IBC from 5 to 9 p.m. Non-televised matches will be held on Saturday and Sunday starting at 4 p.m.

As the league is set to kick off next week, Global has finalized their squad ahead of their first match against Pasargad next week.

Among their new signings is former Nomads and Philippine Under-21 player Jeremy Theuer and Laos player Aaron Altiche, who returns to Global after 2 years.

Also part of their new lineup is defender Niño Ochoterena who was already part of the squad in the PFF-Smart Club Championships, and former Polish Under-20 player Ben Starosta who also featured for English side Sheffield United FC.

30 January 2013

As a new football fan, Maricar Topular, 22, first ignored General Trias International FC. The team from her hometown was composed entirely of South Korean students living General Trias who happened to play football.
But by the time the team crashed the quarterfinals of the United Football Cup, falling to eventual champion Stallion FC in a dramatic encounter, Topular had become a General Trias diehard.
“Hindi ko kilala yung players pero sobrang cheer ako and nung natalo sila, ambigat sa puso,” she said, adding that the squad carrying her province’s name made it easier for her to cheer for it.
“I can definitely identify with them kahit nga ‘di sila Pinoy eh.”
Topular thinks it’s about time the UFL brought the country’s top football league to the provinces to make it more exciting — not just for fans, but for players as well.
Since it was established in 2009, the UFL has catered mainly to fans in Metro Manila, where most of its players, teams, and sponsors are based.
But many fans feel there is an untapped market in the provinces that the league ought to look at. While football culture is fairly new for fans in basketball-crazy Manila, many regions around the country are hotbeds for the beautiful game.
In fact, prior to the entry of Azkals with foreign lineage, most members of the Philippine national men’s football team traced their roots to hotbeds such as Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo, Bacolod City, and Cebu, among other places.
Earlier this month, a provincial team from Bacolod advanced to the finals of the Philippine Football Federation-SMART National Club Championship, upsetting highly-touted teams from the UFL. The reigning UFL Cup champion Stallion has roots in Iloilo, while the league’s second division features the province-based Cebu Queen City United, whose players and officials fly to Manila regularly to compete in matches.Home-and-away?
Philippine football legend Elmer Lacknet Bedia believes the UFL should explore expanding nationwide to be able to promote the sport further.
“I think it should be done by next year bringing UFL outside Manila,” said Bedia, a Barotac Nuevo native who now works with Team Philippines to the Homeless World Cup as a consultant.
“It should be done home-and-away basis or else, the UFL won’t get any farther.”
With football luring more supporters and the UFL having a television deal with sports channel AKTV, the strategy could work, according to Bedia.
“I suppose with the sponsorship of every club, they are ready 100 percent,” he said.
But having home-and-away format for matches could lead a logistical nightmare for the UFL, according to the league’s marketing manager Coco Torre.
“As you know, the Philippines may not have abundance in quality pitches,” he said. “It will also be a challenge as the UFL is still a semi-pro league, meaning some players do still have their regular jobs. Perhaps a conflict on their personal schedules.”PBA format
Sun.Star Cebu editor Mike Limpag, a longtime Philippine football observer who helped coin the “Azkals” nickname for the national team, said that while a home-and-away format may not be ideal for the UFL, the league could look to the model used by the PBA to promote football throughout the country.
“The best way to bring the matches in the province, I think, would be to follow the PBA format. Have games in provinces where clubs have a strong following — say Dondon Hontiveros’ or June Mar Fajardo’s teams in Cebu matches,” said Limpag.
“For the UFL, the Stallions, Global, Kaya, and Loyola have great following in the Visayas. A game involving any of these clubs would be a hit.”
Limpag adds that the UFL could coordinate with local football associations for matches to be played during the popular festivals in the country. For example, a “Sinulog Derby” between Cebu Queen City and another Division Two squad will be a big hit for Cebuanos during the festivities.
“One advantage of this is that the schedules of these festivals are fixed. Almost a year in advance, the UFL can negotiate early, or if it falls in the regular season, plan early which teams can play.”
Limpag believes that tapping the football market in the provinces will help sustain the league in the long run.
“The UFL is already the country’s premier league, and the UFL — not the success of the Azkals in international campaigns — will determine whether football in the Philippines [can thrive],” he said.
“It’s all about getting fans and, perhaps, sponsors, outside of Manila feel involved.”In the works
Bringing UFL closer to people in the province is one of the objectives of the league in the near future, according to league president Randy Roxas.
“It’s definitely the direction the league wants to take. Having provincial games will help spur the growth of the league and the grassroots development program,” he said.
Torre said that the UFL are now working with AKTV for the possibility of having some games played in some provinces.
Stallion coach Ernie Nierras doesn’t see UFL matches outside Metro Manila anytime soon.
“At this time, I do not see that happening on a regular basis. I think the UFL will need to address certain things closer to home. Administrative improvements, officiating and venue upgrades, as well as logistical concerns with our schedules,” said Nierras.
“But these are signs of growth within the UFL.”
For a UFL follower like Topular, she hopes the league realizes its dream in playing more matches outside Metro Manila.
“Para ma-promote yung league, mas okay na may mga provincial games. It will definitely create awareness,” she said. “Feel ko naman basta football-related, open-minded yung mga taga-province.”

As a striker for Spanish second division side Cordoba, Javier Patiño Lachica earned a reputation as a scorer of important goals, which prompted the club’s fans to christen him with the monicker “Patigol” in reference to Argentine great Gabriel Batistuta.

Now, the prolific Filipino-Spanish striker hopes to bring his scoring exploits to the Philippine national side starting with the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers next month in Manila.

“I’m good at scoring goals and I’m a team player,” Patiño told the Inquirer in an exclusive interview Tuesday night just before he returned to Spain.

Patiño, who only speaks Spanish, was in Manila for a couple of days to process his passport, which will pave the way for him to boost the Azkals’ attack.

Patiño had long been in the Azkals’ sights since Filipino-Spanish defender Juani Guirado told team manager Dan Palami that the striker had Filipino lineage.

Guirado was instrumental in convincing Patiño to play for his mother’s homeland—mostly through messages on Facebook.

“Juani told me it would be a good experience,” said Patiño through interpreter Rafa Garcia.

Patiño’s mother, Adolfa Cristina Lachica, hails from Dumanjug, Cebu, and she couldn’t have been happier when Madrid-born Javier, 24, made the decision.

“My mother was very emotional,” said Javier, whose last visit in the country was when he was 12. “It’s always been her hope that we reconnect with family and relatives who we haven’t seen for a long time.”

“What I learn in Spain I will try to impart to the team,” said Patiño. “I didn’t imagine [joining the Azkals] last year, but I’m here to help.”

On its first practice of the year conducted Monday, the Philippine national men’s football team featured five new faces who were surprisingly part of its training at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

Striker Tating Pasilan, defender Reynald Villareal, goalkeeper Patrick Deyto and midfielders Arnie Pasinabo and Ronnie Aguisanda – all members of the Green Archers United Globe in the United Football League – joined the Azkals as they prepare for the 2014 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup in March.

Pasilan, a two-time member of the squad five years ago, and Deyto, who was called up in the Azkals’ friendly match against Guam last year, admitted that they are thrilled to join the national team again, at least in practices. However, they don’t see themselves as full-time members of the team as of now.

“Pag-isipan muna kung tuloy-tuloy kasi trabaho. Two days ko nang naiwanan trabaho ko,” said Pasilan, who also works as a football coach at the De La Salle University system.

Meanwhile, Deyto, who plays for La Salle in the UAAP, hopes to spend more time with the Azkals if given the chance when the collegiate football season ends early this year.

“I just graduated this December so I cannot commit fully to the trainings,” Deyto said. “I just have to finish the UAAP until early March, and after that, if they call me up, I’ll be there to train and train.”

Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss has long stressed the importance of his players’ commitment to the national team, which includes attending practices.

“The public doesn’t know that these guys don’t show up in training,” Weiss said. “Some come sometimes in training, and then they say, ‘we have no chance’ or cry around ‘the training is hard.’”

The German coach cited as an example Azkals goalkeeper Eduard Sacapaño, who stepped up in the absence of foreign-based keepers Neil Etheridge and Roland Mueller in their semifinal run in the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup last year.

“Look Sacapaño, he is always there, always there and he played a fantastic tournament,” Weiss said. “If Etheridge and Mueller are not around, it’s absolutely not a problem and not an extreme drop in quality.”

Despite that, Weiss hopes that he can lure more locally-based players in the team.

“We already have strong people here in the Philippines,” Weiss said. “We want to have them for training, maybe we can still develop something.”

28 January 2013

Philippine national men’s football coach Hans Michael Weiss is thrilled to have Filipino-Spanish recruit Javier Patiño as the newest member of the Azkals.

Patiño, despite his commitments with his club Cordoba CF in the Spanish second division league, made an effort to come to the country to arrange his Philippine passport, which will make him eligible to play for the Azkals.

“I find that more than exciting because a player, during the season, makes that long trip to the Philippines and is getting ready to obtain his passport is a very good sign for us,” Weiss said.

Patiño, who arrived Monday night, will not be able to join the Azkals practices this week as he has to fly back immediately to Spain to return to his club.

Weiss has high hopes for the highly-touted Patiño, a striker who could ease the offensive burden off scorers Phil Younghusband and Angel Guirado.

“That gives us strong options of physically top players who can fit in anytime for our team,” Weiss said. “If we need them, and I think we need them, (it will take the team) to the next higher level.”

Born to a Filipino mother, Patiño has scored 11 goals in 62 appearances with Cordoba since joining the club in 2011.

The Azkals are currently preparing for the 2014 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup qualifiers in Manila this March, where they aim to top their group which features Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia and Turkmenistan to advance to the tournament proper next year in Maldives.

Now available after skipping important
tournaments last year, goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and midfielder Manny Ott have
been recalled for the Philippine side that will face Burma (Myanmar) in an
international friendly in Yangon next week.

Etheridge missed the AFF Suzuki Cup last
year due to commitments with his club Fulham, while Ott also focused on his club
career in Germany last year, forcing him out of the AFC Challenge Cup as well as
the Suzuki Cup.

But with the Burma friendly on Feb. 6
falling on an international date, there seems to be no problem securing the
release of Ether-idge and Ott to the team which is preparing for the AFC
Challenge Cup Qualifiers in March.

The Azkals will face Turkmenistan, Brunei
and Cambodia in the Group E Qualifiers from March 22 to 26 at Rizal Memorial
Stadium. Only the top team in the group will advance to next year’s main
tournament in the Maldives.

England-based defender Rob Gier, who is
coming off a rock-solid performance in the Suzuki Cup, is also expected to
return to the side for the Myanmar match.

After the Burma match, the Azkals may stop
in Thailand to play a local club either on Feb. 9 or 10, according to Philippine
Football Federation general secretary Ed Gastanes.

Azkals manager Dan Palami said the other
players based in Europe like Stephan Schrock, Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara
will be called up in the late stages of the preparation or just during the
tournament itself.

“The situation we are in is something we have never encountered before”. These were the words that came from the mouth of Coach Esse Sedigh after PSG FC’s exciting victory in penalties against Green Archers United Globe (GAU) in the penultimate semifinal match-up in the PFF Smart National Club Championships with a scoreline of 4-3 (2-1 in penalties) last January 26, Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. With the win, PSG FC sets up the final duel with non-league side Ceres Negros FC whose cinderella run in the tournament was capped with a 3-1 victory over Kaya FC. Reason for this rather not-so-ecstatic statement coming off a victory is the likelihood of PSG FC missing the services of its stalwart goal keeper, Reza Ataie and lead defender Jaham Taher – vital cogs in the squads starting 11 on account of red cards due to premature celebration which marred the otherwise well played match vs GAU.

The match ended with 2 goals apiece after extra time and entered into penalties. Chieffy Caligdong, GAU’s new sign-up, drew first blood for the Archers. This was followed by PSGs Hamed Hajimedi who scored via the top left. GAU’s next kicker, Tating Pasilan’s kick was caught by Reza but the referee ordered a re-take claiming Reza moved forward ahead of the kick. Pasilan’s next kick hit the post giving PSG the golden opportunity of upping the pressure. Francis Sumudivilla, PSGs newest addition from San Beda College nailed the leading goal top corner putting PSG up 2-1 on penalties. GAU’s Elle Cagayanan flubbed his penalty kicking it too close for Reza to claim. Following this, Mark Anthony Fernandez failed to pad the lead as his shot was fully covered by GAU keeper Martin Villaflor. With the scoreline still pegged at 2-1, it was GAUs Tommy Escoltero’s turn to draw. His kick however, was knocked out by Reza. The excitement elicited an ecstatic response from the bench leading to Taher (who was in the pitch at the time) and Reza to take off their jerseys thinking the match was over.
Those actions however, required everyone to pore over the rule book. And with the referee reviewing the sequence of events, both Reza and Taher were meted out Yellow Cards for the infraction – their second for this particular match. Both had to be escorted out since the PK’s had yet to be finished. A lapse of around ten minutes took place before action was resumed with CD Harris for PSG on the line. Harris’ shot was saved by the GAU keeper giving the Archers one last chance. With Ayi Nii Aryee of GAU coming next, the diminutive Sumudivilla took the GK chores wearing nothing but an apron and without gloves. Fortunately for PSG, Ayi’s shot hit the cross bar this time making it very sure of PSG’s win and entry into the finals.

“It was a bitter sweet victory” says team manager Javy Mantecon. Mantecon adds “We are in the top two now and a lot of that was due to Reza’s excellent goal keeping and Taher’s defence. Not to mention Manuel M’bata’s threats on the frontline.” M’Bata was earlier booked a red card for simulation. Clearly on review, M’Bata was nudged by a GAU defender Dominic Mensah upon receipt of the pass from Angelo Marasigan. Despite pleas, the referee judged it a simulation thus the red card. “Hopefully, we can firm up an appeal with the organizing committee so that we can have some if not all our carded players in the pitch for the finals. We have a chance to have the cards rescinded so we will see this week” says the affable club manager. Our string of bad luck started when the light coloured jerseys of the squad were stolen from the dug-out while they were stretching. “It is a shame something like this can happen in such a high profile match. Rizal should always provide top notch security. Imagine if this happens in the Olympics?!”

Despite the setback, the team will continue on with preparing for the finals match versus Ceres this Saturday, 02 February, also at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. “All our players will report for practice and we will treat this just as we treat any match” says coach Esse. “You can already see that our players are in top form. Orcullo, Francis (Sumudivilla), sila Mark and Paul (Concepcion) atsaka sila Jolomi, Younnouis, Manuel, Nelson, Charles, CD, lahat sila fit and ready for anyone” adds coach Esse. “Pero mas maganda kung kumpleto yung team sa Saturday. Alam naman natin na malakas yung Ceres Negros. Madaming magaling mag-football sa Negros so kailang ready ka talaga” says Esse. The club would like to invite their fans – Barangay PSG this Saturday for what promises to be an exciting wind-up to the SMART National Club Championships.

27 January 2013

Despite not yet signing his contract extension, coach Hans Michael Weiss will still lead the Philippine national men’s football team as it starts its preparations for the 2014 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup qualifiers in March.
Weiss, whose contract expired last January 16, said that his new six-month deal with the Azkals has yet to be finalized.
“No contract has been signed yet,” Weiss told InterAKTV. “I will start the training on Monday. That is important because we’re already behind schedule.”
The Philippine Football Federation and the team management said last week that they are only furnishing the details of the new contract of Weiss, who is expected to sign the extension that will allow him to handle the Azkals for the Challenge Cup qualifiers in March, a tournament that will determine the German coach’s future with the squad.
Two years ago, Weiss was hired by the Azkals upon the recommendation of the German Football Association which gave financial assistance to the country’s football development.
The Azkals are now preparing for the Challenge Cup qualifiers in March at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, where they look to top their group against Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia and Turkmenistan to qualify for the tournament proper in Maldives next year.

Ceres FC of Negros Occidental and Pasargad FC earned slots in the title match of the Philippine Football Federation-SMART National Club Championship after scoring victories in their semifinals matches Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Riding on a Cinderella run in the tournament, Ceres notched a 3-1 victory over United Football League squad Kaya FC to secure a ticket to the finals.
Ceres scored its first goal at the 25th minute, with Jayson Panhay scoring a high-looping shot off a through ball from Joshua Beloya.
Korean import Byeong Jun Yoon then hit the back of the net at the 42nd minute after receiving a header assist from Danny Claxton to give Ceres a 2-nil edge at halftime.
Moments after the break, Kaya finally made a goal as Chris Greatwich scored at the 50th minute to trim their deficit to 2-1.
However, Gun Hee Choi nailed a penalty kick at the 81st minute to seal another upset by Ceres, which earlier beat UFL powerhouse squads Penson Satllion Giligan’s and Global FC on its way to the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Pasargad FC escaped Green Archers United Globe in their own semifinal match in the nightcap.
The Green Archers took advantage of two straight miscues by Pasargad, as Chieffy Caligdong scored from the top of the box at the 18th minute followed by Jovanie Simpron’s goal at the 19th minute to give their team an early 2-nil lead.
But Pasargad quickly recovered after that, with Charles Ujam hitting the back fo the net at the 20th minute and Reza Amirkhizan at the 25th minute to tie the match at 2-2.
Both teams then failed to break the deadlock in the second half and extra time, bringing the match to a penalty shootout.
Pasargad went on to win in penalties, 2-1, despite red cards slapped to its two players during the shootout for celebrating early.
Ceres and Pasargad will face off in the finals next week.

26 January 2013

THE SLEEPING giant from the South just moved within a victory from claiming Philippine club football’s biggest prize.

Bacolod side Ceres eliminated another United Football League (UFL) powerhouse in Kaya with a clinical 3-1 win last night to reach the finals of the PFF Smart Club Championship at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Goals from Jason Panhay, Byeong Yoon-jun and Choi Gun-hee secured the victory for Ceres, which came into the tournament largely unnoticed until it brought down two former UFL champions in Stallion and Global.

Ceres will dispute the title against the winner of the other semifinal match between Green Archers Globe and Pasargad being played at press time.

National team player Chris Greatwich pulled a goal back for Kaya early in the second half after brilliant work from OJ Porteria.

But just like in its wins against the giants of the UFL, Ceres refused to buckle before sneaking an insurance goal to put the outcome beyond doubt.

“We didn’t expect to be here but the players worked hard and we’re just happy they are getting the reward [of playing in the finals],” said Leorey Yanson, who owns the team with brother Ricky.

“We just wanted to put on a good showing. We want to prove that provincial teams can also compete at a high level,” added Yanson.

Unlike in its first two matches, Ceres had more of the ball in the opening exchanges.

But it wasn’t until a clever piece of play from former Kaya player Joshua Beloya that the team finally got its first clear-cut chance that was duly converted by Panhay in the 25th minute.

Beloya found Panhay running on the left and his lofted pass found the winger, who superbly chipped the ball past Saba Garmaroudi from a tight angle.

Byeong doubled the lead with a bullet of a shot from close range after pouncing on a headed pass from defender Danny Claxton four minutes before half time.

Kaya cut the deficit on Greatwich’s close-range strike six minutes into the second half, after Porteria beat two defenders near the end line.

The Kaya fightback, however, fizzled out with Byeong earning a penalty after a foul from Masa Omura inside the box. Choi put the outcome beyond doubt with a well-taken spot kick into the top corner nine minutes from time.

MATURITY paid off once again for the Little Azkals as they stamped another win yesterday in the two-day friendly matches between Korea-based players from Chelsea FC, 7-2, at the Bonifacio Global Field.

First game hero JB Borlongan scored two goals, while Vincent Erik Lovitos shared the limelight with two goals. Javier Romero-Salas, Ray Sancianco and Jose Anton Yared chipped in a goal each.

Head coach Oliver Colina saw the improvement of the team compared to itsfirst meeting as these players became more aggressive in a smaller, artificial court.

Colina said it was't hard for the boys to adjust as they already got used to playing in this kind of field, especially in their matches during the Italy camp and in their tournament in Japan.

Overall, more than the victory, Colina treats it as a good experience for the team.

"We can gauge our performance now na naka-kontra ta ug Korean team who are also known to be Asia’s strong teams," said Colina.

The Little Azkals are looking forward to the Thirsty Cup Football Festival next month, where they are currently the defending champion in the Under-14 division.

By Alder AlmoThe Cinderella run continues as Ceres took down another United Football League giant in Kaya, 3-1, in the semis of the Philippine Football Federation-Smart National Club Championship on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.The football club from Negros jumped the gun early on Kaya with two first half goals.Jayson Panhay completed a well-placed pass by Joshua Beloya with a left footed looper in the 25th minute to put Ceres on board. Two minutes later, English striker Peter Long nearly doubled Ceres lead with a header but Kaya goalie Saba Garmaroudi sacrificed his body skying high to save the ball.It was Ceres, which looked like the Division I club in the early minutes controlling the pace of the match.The game turned physical to Ceres' liking. The Bacolod-based club struck again near the turn with Korean Byeong Jun Yoon flicked in a header by his English teammate Danny Claxton in the 41st minute.Kaya regrouped at the onset of the second half and quickly cut the deficit with Azkal Chris Greatwich finishing off an OJ Porteria assist five minutes after the break.The equalizer came begging for Kaya after that lone goal as Ceres tightened up its defense and Korean keeper Jae Hun Yeon coming up with save after save.The dagger came in the 80th minute when Kaya's Masa Omura was caught tackling Yoon inside the box 10 minutes before time. Yoon's compatriot Gun Hee Choi connected the penalty kick putting the ball in the top corner for the two-goal cushion, which they kept until the final whistle."I couldn't believe we beat the three strongest Division I clubs in the country," said Ceres team manager Ali Go referring to Stallion, Global and now Kaya to their growing list of giant victims. "The right combination of players as well as the disciplined coaching took us here."Ceres, the only non-UFL team left, will face the winner of the Green Archers United Globe-Pasargad match, which is underway as of this posting, in the finals next Saturday.

CAGAYAN de Oro’s Jeremiah “JB” Borlongan scored a hattrick as the Little Azkals once again showed their unbeatable team work by routing the Korean-based Chelsea FC Under 14 team, 6-1, yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the first of their two exhibition matches.

The Philippine Under-14 football team proved that they have an unbeatable bond despite coming from different parts of the country by surprising the visiting Chelsea FC with their press to the goal and their agility on the pitch.

All of the goals in the match were scored in the first half, with Little Azkals team captain Jed Ramos Diamante of Davao starting the scoring spree with just minutes into the match. This was followed by Borlongan’s three straight goals.

Davao’s Javier Romero-Salas further stretched the Little Azkals’ lead to five while Diamante capped the junior national team’s win with his final goal in the first half.

Chelsea FC scored its lone goal in the last minute of the first half. The second half saw both teams scoreless.

With the sizable lead that the Little Azkals posted, head coach Oliver “BingBing” Colina felt confident to field all of his players in the second half to give those on the bench enough exposure.

“We dominated the first half but Chelsea was able to adjust in the second half and managed some counter attacks. We surprised them with our press and speed, it was clear that they weren’t expecting that,” Colina said.

Despite having won convincingly, Colina said more adjustments will be done today in their second match against Chelsea FC at the Turf Bonifacio Global City (BGC) at 4 p.m. since he is anticipating that the visiting team will be making their own adjustments.

“The Chelsea FC has a high-level of understanding of the game and they play physical,” Colina said. /CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON

25 January 2013

THE 2nd Vicenta Tionko Memorial Cup kicks off at 8 a.m. today, Saturday, at the Tionko football grounds.
Davao Football Association (DFA) general secretary Erwin Protacio said games will start right after the opening ceremonies to be graced by members of the Tionko family and DFA officials.
Some 50 teams are expected to join the one-day seven-A-side bootfest that features the boys 16-under, boys and girls 14-under, boys 12-under and boys 10-under categories.
"We are holding this tournament to pay tribute, recognition and gratitude to a person who has made a great contribution to football in Davao City," Protacio said in a recent guesting at Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum.
Each team, which shall be composed of 12 players, must bring photocopies of players' birth certificates at the playing venue so as not to be disqualified.
DFA, meanwhile, also lined up upcoming events like the Sakya Fil-Chi Cup in celebration of the Chinese New Year on Feb. 16 and the Mindanao Regional Festival of Football on March 1 to 3 in separate venues here.
Davao City's U-23 football team is also preparing for the Suzuki Cup Mindanao Finals set sometime in March or April against Iligan, Dipolog and M'lang. (MLSA)Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on January 26, 2013.

When he heard that three players from Britain will try out for his team, coach Freddie Lazarito of Negros Occidental-based football club Ceres FC was more than pleased with the news. After all, the squad was very much in need of more skilled players for their campaign in the Philippine Football Federation-SMART National Club Championships this month.

But after a number of training sessions, Lazarito thought he made a wrong decision to accept the new imports.

Weeks after, Lazarito’s gamble paid off. Last Saturday, striker Peter Long, one of his British imports, scored a goal in the 12th minute to help Ceres stun United Football League powerhouse Global FC in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

The Philippine national beach soccer team fell to Iraq, 6-0, to end its campaign winless in the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Asian qualifiers Thursday at the Katara Beach in Doha, Qatar.

It was the second match the Dolphins failed to score in the tournament. They earlier succumbed to Iran 20-0, last Tuesday in a result which became the most lopsided result in Asian Beach Soccer history.

The Filipinos also dropped their match against China, 11-1, on Thursday morning with Azkals veteran Roel Gener scoring a bicycle kick goal to give the Dolphins their lone goal of the tournament.

With the result, the Dolphins failed to get past the group stages for the third straight time after early exits in 2006 and 2008.

Iran and China are battling for the top spot of the group as of press time to determine the squad that will advance to the semifinals of the tournament. The two finalists and the third-placed team in the Asian qualifiers will earn a slot in the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti in September.

Director to the FIFA Marketing and Television Committee, Monico Puentevella, yesterday reacted to reports the Philippine Sports Commission will be scouting for Fil-Spanish athletes who could don the country’s colors in future competitions like the forthcoming Southeast Asian Games at the end of this year.

“This is our problem with our sports now in the Philippines. We are leaning more on getting Fil-Ams for basketball and Fil-Euros for football and other sports. If only for the medals, I have no problem with that. But this will deprive our homegrown talents from getting into the national teams,” Puentevella emphasized.

Puentevella has served as PSC Commissioner in 1994 to 2000 where he headed the agency’s grassroots development program.

“We should prioritize our grass roots program while temporarily getting into this arrangement with Spain or other countries,” he said. “Look at the other Asian countries like Korea and China and you can see what I mean,” he added.

With a day more to go, the much-awaited Ceres-Kaya semifinal match in the ongoing PFF-Smart Club Championship will take place tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.

Both clubs held their opponents, 1-nil, during their quarterfinal stints and defense was the key to that victory.

For the Freddie “Nene” Lazarito-mentored Ceres FC, beating two of the country’s top clubs is quite impossible but real. And winning on defense as the other side taking a 70-30 percent offensive position is more unfeasible.

Yet the Bacolod-based club proved that all these things are possible.

The tough defense played by Ceres from the midfield, with Roland Ian Treyes and Jason Panhay at the wings, while Fil-Am Joshua Beloya and Korean Kim Hong Mook at center, has worked out in denying its opponents to establish a good offensive flow – including breaking of ball passes towards the rivals’ wingmen or forwards.

Going further, the well-established defensive wall by Ceres’ skipper Jason Cordova and Korean Sim Hyung Min at wingback as well as the good teamwork from British Danny Claxton and Korean Park Keon Hyeong at central defense makes it more difficult for their counterpart to get a better shot on goal.

Not to mention the high-performance of its Korean keeper Hyoun Jae Jun, who has not given up any goal since the tournament started.

In offense, Ceres is more of a counter-attacking team that with its good defense pays them with good scoring opportunities with British Peter Long and J. Baguiro at forward.

Meanwhile, Coach Maor Rozen’s Kaya FC has showed great heart when they won over Loyola-Meralco FC.

And defense was also the key for the team when they held the Younghusband siblings-led club to a scoreless finish despite the absence of their key players skipper Aly Borromeo, co-skipper Anton del Rosario, Lexton Moy, Prince Boley and Jason Sabio. The first four are injured while Sabio has gone back to the US to continue his studies in law.

With Kaya’s offense, Azkals’ OJ Porteria, who scored the only goal against Loyola, is expected to take some run up front with Chris Greatwich anticipated to be back on shape after an off night during their last game.

On the other hand, Ceres midfielder Beloya, who also played for Kaya in UFL last year, yesterday described the latter squad and Global FC as great teams with the players having great individual characters.

“I do have a lot of respect to both clubs as well as the Azkals team because I have my teammates in there. And, I respect every teams I played against with,” he said./

THE Philippine Under 14 football team otherwise known as the Little Azkals will once again get a chance to prove that it is the country’s future in the sport when they face Chelsea FC U14 in the first of their two exhibition matches this 3 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

The team, which finished third in the Japan-East Asean Football Exchange Programme U-14 Youth Football Festival held at the J-Green Sakai, in Osaka Japan last year, will be missing the services of striker Dimitri Lionel “Troy” Limbo, who was not allowed by his school to play.

While Limbo cheers his teammate from the sidelines, Jovan Marfiga will be taking his place in the right wing.

Aside from Limbo, the team will also be missing Kintaro “King” Miyagi, Gio Pabualan, John William Abraham and Shanden Vergara. The four have prior commitments.

Head coach Oliver Colina said they will be following their usual formation—the 4-4-1-1.

According to Colina, their two practices yesterday were focused on refreshing their system of play and team work as they come from different parts of the country and have not had a chance for a longer bonding after their training camp last December was cancelled.

The last time that the national U14 has played together was in October where they clinched the first runner-up honors in the 5th Pintaflores National U16 Invitational Football Cup in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

In today’s game, Colina said that they will also lessen their man-to-man markings. Team captain Jed Diamante of Davao will take on the role of striker while assistant team captain Josh Miller of Manila will be part of the back four./CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON